Choose the Right Synonym for nasty

dirty, filthy, foul, nasty, squalid mean conspicuously unclean or impure. dirty emphasizes the presence of dirt more than an emotional reaction to it.
a dirty littered street filthy carries a strong suggestion of offensiveness and typically of gradually accumulated dirt that begrimes and besmears.
a stained greasy floor, utterly filthyfoul implies extreme offensiveness and an accumulation of what is rotten or stinking.
a foul-smelling open sewer nasty applies to what is actually foul or is repugnant to one expecting freshness, cleanliness, or sweetness.
it's a nasty job to clean up after a sick cat
In practice, nasty is often weakened to the point of being no more than a synonym of unpleasant or disagreeable.
had a nasty fall
his answer gave her a nasty shock squalid adds to the idea of dirtiness and filth that of slovenly neglect.
squalid slums
All these terms are also applicable to moral uncleanness or baseness or obscenity. dirty then stresses meanness or despicableness
don't ask me to do your dirty work
, while filthy and foul describe disgusting obscenity or loathsome behavior
filthy street language
a foul story of lust and greed
, and nasty implies a peculiarly offensive unpleasantness.
a stand-up comedian known for nasty humor
Distinctively, squalid implies sordidness as well as baseness and dirtiness.
engaged in a series of squalid affairs

Examples of nasty in a Sentence

She has a nasty habit of biting her fingernails.
The medicine left a nasty taste in my mouth.
That nasty old man yelled at me just for stepping on his lawn!
He sent a nasty letter to the company.
She's got quite a nasty temper.
He said lots of downright nasty things about her.
She called him a few nasty names and left.

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nasty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.